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That's the safety word that I've worked out with the girls in the cast of the Armageddon Radio Hour, in case my in-character behavior ever actually creeps them out. All they have to do is look me in the eyes and say, "Tangerine" and I step back and drop the schtick.
It's the safe word.
The reserve 'chute.
The fire exit.
I suggested that we put it in place, because I am going to mercilessly and aggressively pursue these women (all of them, really) throughout the entire rehearsal process and the performance. My characters goal is to sleep with them all, if at all possible.
It is, to my mind, as if someone has taken a hot, sexy, musky French sex-bomb and set it off in the midst of these quiet, conservative, uptight, white wasps. The men are a little nervous. The women are all aroused and terrified at the same time. The smell of sex is in the air and everyone is reacting to it, in some capacity. I think it's HILARIOUS.
Of course, I am speaking about our first rehearsal of the Armageddon Radio Hour. Which was last night. I had a blast. I look back at the things that I did and said last night and I am both amused and amazed, at the things that I got away with.
You'll know from reading this blog entry that I already have a lover in the show. Joanna Buese is playing "Marie Claire Pierre". My wife. I treat her more like a mistress and lover and a partner in the scandals that I'm planning on getting away with. To me, she is the most sensual, most beautiful women that I happen to be talking about, at that time. For Maurice "Tou Tou" LaMarche, one woman is as good as another. Each one is better than the next...
That's what I found at the rehearsal last night. I am going to seduce all three of the available women in this show.
It started in the "walk around and find your character" exercise that we did at the beginning of rehearsal. I pulled my trousers up and stuck out my groin area and began walking around with that "snotty, bemused" look that people who don't really understand the language, sometimes affect. I piled as much bullshit on my face and posture and gait as I possibly could. LaMarche is not, as it turns out, a very subtle man.
While we meandered around, we made eye contact with one another. I found that I had a vague, pleasant feeling around the men. But that I was clear and focused and fearless about making eye contact with the women. My wife, Marie Claire, and I would look at each other and smile pleasantly. If I made eye contact with Jen Ellison's Molly, she would look away immediately. Which of course, drew me in, that much more. Later, as we randomly meandered around, my left elbow brushed up against her breast. Totally accidentally, but when I saw it was her, I stopped and apologized, she scurried away, getting as far from me, as possible. A very fun game of cat and mouse.
When we were to speak, in character, about ourselves, I was the first one to volunteer immediately. I figured that LaMarche would have NO problems talking about himself. And that his generally cheerful personality would spur him to volunteer to go first. I can't remember half of what I said as LaMarche to the questions that Don asked me. I learned that LaMarche has no contact with his father. (No surprise there, since he's inappropriately masculine. Having a father figure would've, I think, tempered that.) He's a dedicated hedonist. His favorite holiday is his birthday. For obvious reasons. He also thinks he's probably the funniest person in the room, at all times. But he's shy about admitting that.
I was pleased to hear that I got very positive reactions from Don and the other producer, who was watching the rehearsal. I also got some laughs from the other actors, so that made me feel like I was on the right track.
One by one, the other actors got up and spoke about their characters, answering information about themselves. I chose to stay in character, as did many of my other fellow actors and while we listened to these characters talk about themselves, we ALSO interacted with one another. When Marie Claire took the hot seat, I sat in a chair near her and smiled and listened and nodded appreciatively. I also stared down Molly and Kitty, the other women in the company, undressing them with my eyes. Molly caught it and tensed up appropriately.
When Marie finished her speech and came back to the cast, I used that as my opportunity to cross the stage and take up a place next to Molly. She didn't see me come over and so when she looked to her right and I was already there, she was visibly shocked. While Patrick Brennan talked to us as Packy, I edged closer and closer to Molly on the wall. She edged farther and farther away from me, until she was firmly wedged in between Kittys chair and the wall. With nowhere else to go, I had her trapped. I leaned in and gently laid my arm against her arm. (Still a move that I could deny, if she called me out on it.) She froze up and went stiff as a board. I chuckled out of character.
Shortly thereafter, Packy finished his section and before Don could call for another volunteer, Molly leapt forward and cheerfully yelped, "I'll do it!" and threw herself into the hot-seat. Jen then shared with us a really fascinating background for Molly. (I think she might've murdered her mother.) But she's a bundle of raw nerves at all times. Very jumpy. Which explains the moves that I was getting.
Midway through her introduction, I settled my hand on Kitty's shoulder and she leaned back into me and I proceeded to spend my stage time seducing her, too. Hilarious! By the time it was all said and done, my hand was firmly on her shoulder and I was breathing heavily to indicate my building lust. Ha ha ha! So funny. We were both working to NOT be discovered, as we seduced or were seduced by the other person. I honestly think that the other cast members and Don didn't pick up on it at all.
Later, we did silent scenes together and even before we started, I leaned back and stared silently and sexily at Molly. She froze up and looked away. So much fun, the cat and mouse game that we were playing.
When she got called for her silent scene, she came and grabbed me to join her onstage. Don chose "Sentimental Mood" as our song and I spent the whole song chasing after her. Jen surprised me, by having Molly check to see if the coast was clear before accepting my cigarettes or sitting on my lap. Molly WANTS to be a bad girl, but she's afraid of someone catching her. Which gives the character so much more depth than playing the whole "No. Nothing fun or sexy, ever!" mentality, which only goes so far.
Later, we ran a scene with the three men of the show and while they read the newspaper, I was bored, bored, bored. I was even looking offstage for someone else to talk to. When Molly entered the scene, both Michael and I jumped at the chance to dote on her and there was a very nice little rivalry there. I think we can explore that a little further in scenes. That's an interesting triangle, if you ask me.
At one point, it even looked as if Marie Claire was thinking about sleeping with Molly and THAT had power, too. Clearly the Francophiles are there to defile this poor, emotionally shattered, terribly repressed classic, American engenue.
Did I mention that I secretly suspect that Maurice is also a pretty terrible, selfish lover? I think he gets what he wants quickly and easily and then needs lots of breaks to drink more and talk about himself. But that eventually he gets back around to servicing the woman. I think that what he lacks in quality, he makes up for in consistency and pleasantry. With Maurice, you won't get off quickly, but you will, eventually, get off. Probably.
And he, of course, has no idea and considers himself to be a very successful lover. I mean, He's having a blast, each and every time.
Yes, so, last night was about pushing some boundaries and staking claims on all the women. They can see now that I'll be hound-dogging them whenever I can. I don't know how far this can all go onstage (does Don want silent, pantomimed sex onstage during his show? Is that possible? Or desirable? Stuff to figure out in subsequent rehearsals.)
Tonight, we work through the scenes of the show and see what goodness we can mine from that. This show is a pleasure!
Cheers,
Mr
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